New medical clinic on Mission Street criticized by neighbors due to traffic

SANTA CRUZ -- Tensions ran high Tuesday as city leaders debated a planned new medical facility on Mission Street, a project nearby residents say would create a traffic nightmare.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation plans to build a new 18,000-square-foot facility on Mission Street between Van Ness Avenue and Laurent Street. The city Planning Commission approved the project in June.

Planners recommended the council evaluate traffic circulation in the neighborhood.

Controversy centers on parking for the medical clinic being accessible only from either Van Ness Avenue or Laurent Street, which residents of those streets say should be mitigated by partially closing the streets to through traffic.

At least 30 Westside residents attended Tuesday's council meeting to ask city leaders to design "significant calming measures" that limit cars from California and Bay to Mission.

Residents asked that no cars from PAMF be allowed beyond the clinic's driveway.

"We don't think we should have 100 percent of the traffic for this project," Van Ness Avenue resident Wendy Baxter said.

Public Works officials don't favor closing streets, saying such a move would drive traffic elsewhere in an unbalanced way.

"Closing streets has unintended consequences," said Chris Schneiter of the Public Works Department.

Tom Hart of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation said the foundation is spending $200,000 on traffic impact fees and up to $80,000 on other measures to mitigate traffic, including bulb-outs and signs that restrict turns around the facility.

"The signs could be installed before occupancy to benefit the neighborhood now instead of a year from now," Hart said. "This is going to create increased medical access to thousands of patients who won't have to drive to the Eastside clinic."

The council was not scheduled to vote on the traffic issue. It will be discussed and voted on at a future council meeting.

In other council action on Tuesday, the council:

Postponed a vote on a $559 yearly fee imposed on retailers that sell cigarettes. The delay will allow city staff to work out other fee options that might be less onerous on businesses.

Several retailers spoke against the fee, which would be used to pay for enforcing the prohibition of tobacco sales to minors.

District manager for CVS, Tim Stewart, said his store has a stringent policy against selling cigarettes to minors. Stewart called the city's fee "a bit excessive," and asked for it to be reconsidered.

Stewart also was speaking on behalf of the Northern California Retailers Association.

Owner of the Jury Room and Brady's Yacht Harbor asked for bars to be exempt from paying the fee since people under 21 are not allowed in.

Proponents of the city partnering with the county Health Services Agency to fight teen smoking said 90 percent of adult smokers started before age 18.

They said about 40 percent of middle school and high school students in Santa Cruz County have tried smoking.